


Treachery

by Aria6



Series: A Coyote's Stories [56]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Baraggan is an Asshole, Death and Rebirth, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-03-15
Packaged: 2018-03-13 02:31:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3364412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aria6/pseuds/Aria6





	1. Chapter 1

Barragan stared with silent disgust at the sleeping form across from him.

In his opinion, Coyote Starrk's very existence was an insufferable insult. He was ridiculously powerful, so strong that Aizen had been forced to permanently lower his strength just so other arrancar could survive him. That grated him the wrong way, of course, but it wasn't what enraged him.

What angered him almost beyond reason was the creature's personality. How could something so powerful be so useless?! Starrk slept well over half the time. When he wasn't sleeping he was trying to make _friends,_ like a pathetic human! And the girl with him was just a nuisance. He'd considered 'befriending' the other arrancar just to use him, but Barragan doubted he could keep up the charade. He loathed Coyote Starrk too much.

But if he wasn't going to use the man, what should he do? Barragan rested his chin in one hand as he watched the other Espada. He was drooling on the table a bit, his lanky body spread over the white tabletop. Grimmjow came into the room then and walked up behind the Coyote before casually punching him in the back of the head.

"OW!" Starrk jerked up, blinking, and Barragan sneered internally. If someone did that to him, they would die. But Starrk accepted physical abuse from his lesser without a qualm. "Oh, is it time?" He asked, wiping away a bit of drool. Grimmjow laughed, settling into his own seat.

"Not yet, but it won't be long. Stay awake, you lazy fucker." He said casually and Starrk smiled. Barragan's eyes narrowed. The creature also accepted disrespect and didn't seem to care. So ridiculous! "Did you hear what that Loly chick did…?" What followed was a bit of gossip and Starrk's grey eyes became lively as he laughed, unaware of the quiet hatred the Segunda was directing at him.

Then the other target of his hate arrived. As Aizen brought the meeting to order, Barragan evaluated the other Espada. So many of them were so extremely loyal to the tyrant, but he could handle them all… save one. Barragan looked at Starrk and saw he was resting his chin in his hands, his eyes half closed. But when he opened them fully and gazed at Aizen, the Segunda Espada saw a strange emotion in those grey eyes. Something warm and almost… loving? It seemed an absurd emotion to attribute to any hollow but Barragan would have sworn it was that. And he could see the loyalty Starrk held for the man. It reminded him of the devotion his own fraccion gave him.

Quietly, the Segunda Espada decided that the Primera needed to die. Bringing him over to his side would be a nearly impossible task. Much better to get rid of him… and retake his place as the Primera Espada. Aizen would be upset but would not want to get rid of his second most powerful warrior. Not to mention, he'd already set the precedent with Nnoitra and Nelliel. Barragan smiled in his beard as he watched Starrk venture a diffident opinion, still looking at Aizen with those adoring eyes.

He would enjoy killing that one.

* * *

For the next few weeks, Barragan observed the Primera.

Starrk was so ridiculously easy to approach. Entirely unsuspicious and welcoming. Barragan sent Findorr to talk to the man and soon the Coyote thought he had a new friend. Findorr reported everything he observed about Starrk, which was a great deal. Barragan was mildly surprised to find that Grimmjow had seduced the idiot. Although that gave him an idea…

"See if you can determine more about his sexual preferences." He ordered and Findorr bowed, eager to obey his king. "Find out what he found attractive in Grimmjow." Was it the cats pretty face? His aggressive manner? Whatever it was, Barragan was certain one of his fraccion could fill the roll. He had many types to choose from. It was a very good thing Starrk enjoyed the company of men, though. His plot would have been more difficult if he'd preferred women.

The next person he needed to enlist, though, was Szayel. If anyone could find a way to dispatch the Primera without a trace, it would be him. The Octava was quite amenable to his suggestions.

"It would be nice to climb the ranks a bit further. And Starrk really is quite irritating sometimes. He wandered into here, disrupting my experiments and then wanted to play chess!" Szayel seemed vexed as he remembered and Barragan smiled into his beard. "When I asked him why he was distracting me with something so idiotic, he said he wanted to get to know me. I told him he was a moron and he finally left." That was Starrk, for certain. No doubt he'd been rather hurt by the rejection.

"Do you have anything that can dispatch him cleanly?" Barragan asked. That was the troublesome part. Starrk was so unwary partly because he didn't NEED to be wary. There was no one in Los Noches who could dispatch him from ambush except, perhaps, Aizen himself. Respire would be almost useless. Szayel looked thoughtful for a moment.

"…You know, I think I do." He said and Barragan quirked an eyebrow, internally surprised. He'd been prepared to hear Szayel say he needed time to work on it. He'd even been prepared to find out it was impossible. In that case, he'd have abandoned his plans or started on something else. "Hold on a moment…" Szayel went to a secured set of cabinets and after a bit of work, removed what looked like a dagger? "Yes, I still have it. This will do the trick. It will cut through his hierro like a piece of tissue. You MUST plunge it into his heart, however, or it will not kill him. And you only have one shot. The power in this will be expelled on use." Szayel warned and Barragan nodded, accepting the weapon and examining it. It was a strange thing, curved and decorated with kanji? "Because of his hole, the Primera's heart is not in the usual place. Allow me to show you…" Ah, excellent. That was something he'd been about to ask. Barragan tucked the dagger into his sash before looking at the diagrams Szayel was bringing out.

It didn't occur to him to ask how the weapon would destroy the Primera Espada.

* * *

"Mmm, excellent." Findorr's report indicated that Starrk enjoyed being dominated. That was ideal. "I will do it myself." Barragan decided. The fact that the weapon was one use only was the reason behind his decision. If it hadn't been for that, he might have set Abirama to it. But while the fraccion was devoted and certainly Starrk's 'type', he was not very good at precision. How would he go about it, though? Well, he only needed to get Starrk's guard down for a moment. That would be easy.

And it was. He waited until Starrk was passing through an area with plenty of little nooks and crannies. Reaching out, he grasped the arrancar's arm and dragged him into one of those darkened corners.

"Barragan?!" Starrk squirmed and the Segunda thought he could have done it then, but he held off. He wanted to be certain the Primera's guard was down. "What are you… doing…?" He yanked Starrk tight against him, an arm around his waist and the other around his chest. Starrk's back was tight against him, feeling every inch of his body.

"You are a very handsome creature." He whispered in the other arrancar's ear, and it was not a lie. Starrk was extremely attractive. If only his power had not been so high, he might have made a decent fraccion, after some training. "Come, let me have you. I will show you what your body can do…" Although Starrk was not a virgin. In fact, he was getting a bit of a reputation as an easy conquest. Sure enough, the arrancar went still for a moment.

"Well… I suppose…" Starrk murmured, glancing over his shoulder with those luminous grey eyes. There was such innocence in them, a kind of deep-seated neediness. Barragan found it intensely annoying but he only smiled, his grip on the Primera tightening as one hand ducked into his hakama. The other went for his sash.

Starrk uttered a soft moan as warm, rough fingers encircled his length. That moan turned into a shocked gasp as Barragan's other hand came to his lower chest. The dagger slid home as smoothly as Szayel had promised and bright red began to spread over pure white cloth. Barragan savored the blank shock on the Primera's face, the way his lips parted, blood sliding from the corner of his mouth as he looked down at the wound. Starrk lifted his head, turning it to gaze at him. The horror on his face… Barragan chuckled in dark satisfaction.

The man's legs abruptly gave out and Barragan let go of the knife, letting Starrk collapse in a heap at his feet. He was still savoring his triumph when something unexpected happened. Starrk's body seemed to _erupt_ in a gout of blue? The ancient hollow flung up a hand to shield his face as power – were those _souls?_ – streamed out, flowing through the air in rivers of force. The released energy was beyond anything he could have imagined but it did not harm him in any way. It simply brushed past, on it's way… somewhere.

Barragan lowered his hand when it was done and stared at the dagger on the ground. Starrk's body was gone, aside from a few bloodstains. And as he watched, the weapon fractured, slowly breaking apart. Soon it, too, was nothing but dust. Frowning, Barragan stroked his mustache. That had been unexpected. Then he shrugged, putting it out of mind. He left the scene of the crime, moving with his usual stately walk. It would be some time before anyone noticed Starrk's disappearance.

He would put the time to good use.

* * *

"Starrk? What happened?" Starrk stared at his smaller half, almost speechless.

Instead of the little arrancar girl he was used to, Lilynette was very different. Her hair was soft gold and her eyes – two of them – were bright blue. Had he changed as much? He pulled out a lock of hair and regarded it, relieved to see it was still chestnut.

"I… Barragan…" He was still in shock. He'd always known Barragan didn't like him but that had been… he'd been _murdered,_ by someone who should have been a comrade! "He killed me." He said faintly and Lilynette blinked.

"What? How could he have done that?" She asked before glancing around. "And where are we?" Starrk followed her gaze, his confusion mounting as he realized they were not in Hueco Mundo. They were surrounded by… trees…? "Why am I wearing this? I hate dresses!" Starrk blinked as his gaze went back to her. She was wearing a black gown with little white ruffles around the throat. He regarded it dubiously. It seemed rather… matronly, which was an odd thing to say about a little girl's gown.

"I don't know. What am I wearing?" He asked as he looked himself over. "…Hm." Rough homespun, it was scratchy and not well fitted to his frame. Frowning, Starrk ran a finger under the collar, scratching his skin. "…This is all so strange." And not in a good way. "Barragan stuck something into me. It went right through my hierro." That still had him in shock. "I… died… very swiftly." That had been merciful, at least. He still couldn't believe it had happened in the first place, though. "I feel different." He wasn't sure how, yet. It was all so confusing. Lilynette frowned before taking her other half's hand.

"I feel different too. But whatever! Let's go see if we can find people." She said firmly and Starrk was grateful for the direction. "Let's go… that way!" She pointed and soon they were moving. They could not use sonido. When Starrk tried, nothing happened. But then, their holes and bones were missing. What had that knife of Barragan's done to them?

It actually didn't take them very long to figure out.

"Hah, newcomers." A group of men surrounded them and Starrk looked around in alarm as Lilynette scowled. "That's a pretty one. Hand over the girl and maybe we'll let you live." That made Starrk stiffen. Lilynette was just a cub! Close to adult, yes, but she was not there yet.

"OI! You all better take off! Starrk's the strongest, he'll mash your face!" She threatened. They laughed and Starrk understood why… they had swords while he didn't. Yet, did that matter? Eyes narrowing, he reached for the power of his reiatsu. He might not be able to make a cero with it but…

Everyone stared as the leader went flying, as if from a powerful shove. Casting kido without any kind of sound was impossible, but what Starrk was doing was much cruder than any kido. One of the others cried out and then they attacked. Starrk shoved Lilynette behind him before laying into them with his fists. He didn't know what he was doing or how it worked, but he created an aura of force around his hands. It clashed with the swords, putting him on more even footing with the thugs.

"You bastard! When I get that bitch I'm going to rape her until she bleeds!" The leader was back and Starrk's eyes briefly went wide at that threat. The rage that coursed through him was actually tangible in its' strength as his reiatsu spiked. It flared in a column of blue force and there were screams as the men were blasted away. Trees shattered, devastated by the release of power. Only Lilynette was unaffected, her lesser power pulsing in sync with the greater.

Then his rage gave way to fear as several strangers appeared. The robes were black and he recognized them…

"Oh shit!" Lilynette gasped, pressing against his back as Starrk shielded her protectively, his head darting from side to side as he tried to find an escape. Shinigami, he was surrounded by shinigami. The surviving bandits scattered like birds and Starrk bit his lip. It was one thing to toss around the untrained with raw power but for those who had a grip on their strength…

"Please be calm." A woman with dark hair and purple eyes said soothingly. Lilynette, though, was having none of it.

"What d'you mean be calm? We're surrounded by shinigami!" She exclaimed and the woman blinked at her.

"Why are you afraid?" She asked and Starrk and Lilynette both stared.

"Because we're…" Lilynette faltered suddenly, looking up at her other half. _Because we're hollows._ But they weren't, now. Starrk gently placed an arm around her, holding her close.

"We don't know what we are." He said and the woman smiled at him, a touch relieved.

"You are plus souls. I assume you are new to Soul Society?" Starrk's breath caught in his throat. Barragan had _purified_ them? How? "Of course you are. But someone of your power cannot be left in the Rukongai. Please, come with me to the Seireitei. You will have a good life there and become a shinigami yourself." She said coaxingly and Starrk wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the thought. But his brain was starting to work, now.

"Yes, we will come with you." He said and Lilynette hissed at him before he hushed her. He would explain to her later. "We must not be parted." He added firmly. "She is my… daughter." She wasn't, of course. Starrk wasn't sure what Lilynette had been to him in the far off mists of time. But now she was as dear to him as a daughter.

"Of course!" The woman assured him and Starrk relaxed a little. "My name is Kuchiki Rukia of the Thirteenth Division. If you don't mind, we will carry you. Otherwise, it is a very long walk." She said and Starrk nodded, resigned. He understood that.

Soon enough the shinigami had them at the gates of the Seireitei. Starrk gazed over everything curiously. This was the place Aizen had come from? It was very interesting. There were so many little shops and homes. That was what some vague memory told him they were, anyway. But it made him wonder. Why was Los Noches so different from this? He'd vaguely assumed that the style of architecture was the same.

Bemused by the whole thing, he allowed himself to be tested. Apparently, even here he was among the strongest… his casual display of power in the Rukongai had attracted attention instantly and now they were labeling him 'taichou-class'. He could tell the woman testing him wasn't entirely pleased with that, and he suspected he knew why… too strong, again. Starrk sighed to himself and did his best to pretend to be innocent and confused. It wasn't too hard, mainly because everything was confusing him. He wasn't entirely innocent, though.

Lilynette was behaving in a prickly manner, which worried him, but no one seemed to find it odd. And her tests led to the comment of 'seated officer level', which seemed to please the woman greatly. Perhaps they thought her power would improve with age, leading her to something more reasonable than Starrk's ridiculous strength? He wondered if they were right.

"You'll both join the next class at the Academy, but it doesn't start for another month." Kuchiki said cheerfully and Starrk nodded. "In the meantime, you'll stay together at the Thirteenth and receive some private tutoring in your powers and other skills." That was very helpful. Although it made him wonder.

"Why are you doing this? Surely we are not so special." He said and Rukia frowned slightly before responding.

"Part of the duties of my Division is keeping a watch on the Rukongai for any emerging powers. We were given that task after an incident involving someone of a similar power to you." She said and Starrk blinked. He wasn't alone? "You are very unusual, Starrk-san. And Lilynette is also quite strong for a wandering soul. Food can be short in the slums and when the powerful are desperate, terrible things happen. It is much better for you to be here, safe and secure before you can enter the Academy."

"…Ah." Food? He hadn't even thought of that. He hadn't needed to eat even adjuchas for so long. Although that made him aware of the ache in his belly and Lilynette suddenly spoke.

"Hey, food! I'm hungry! Can we have some food?" She asked and Rukia smiled at her reassuringly.

"Of course! First though, we should get you into some proper clothes." She said and Starrk was eager for that. His clothing was already starting to chafe. Had he been smaller, when it had been given to him? And when had that been?

"No dresses!" Lilynette said firmly and Kuchiki laughed before leading them away. This time, they did not need to be carried… their destination was not far. When they arrived, they were quickly fitted with basic yukata. Lilynette pouted a little at the 'dress' but calmed down when it was pointed out that Starrk was wearing the same thing. Then they were taken for their first real meal that they could remember. Kuchiki was a bit surprised to see they knew how to handle the chopsticks. But Aizen had let them all try a bit of shinigami food and while some – Grimmjow – had preferred to eat with their fingers like barbarians, Starrk and Lilynette had tried to learn the right way.

"Perhaps you were Japanese. Souls from all over the world come here, but most cannot remember their past." Rukia said and Starrk privately doubted it.

"Our names would seem wrong for that." Although they were hollow names. Thankfully, the shinigami did not seem to realize that. Then again, the only true mark of a hollow name seemed to be a double letter. Surely many shinigami also had that feature. As Starrk ate, he felt Lilynette staring at him and sensed that she dearly wanted to question him. That would have to wait for later, though, after they were out from under so many eyes.

Later came eventually, when they were shown to their rooms. They would be sharing a room with bunk beds, which was wonderful for them. Starrk settled into the bottom while Lilynette claimed the top. When they were certain they were alone, she dropped her head over the side and looked at him severely.

"What're we doing here Starrk? They're our enemies!" She said sharply and he sighed, looking up at the bottom of the bed. "Are we not loyal to Aizen anymore?"

"Of course we are!" Starrk still owed Aizen-sama so much. And he needed to know about Barragan's treachery. But… "What are we supposed to do? We can't make a garganta and we have no way to get Aizen word of what has happened to us." He said and Lilynette frowned. "All we can do is attempt to master our new abilities quickly enough to betray the shinigami and help Aizen in the final battle." Lilynette looked extremely dubious.

"Starrk, that's what, six months away? A year at the MOST! Can we learn enough to do ANYTHING useful that fast? Remember what Tosen said!" She said and Starrk sighed. He'd been trying to befriend the dark shinigami and had asked him what life was like as a shinigami. It had taken some work, but Tosen had finally thawed a little and told him a bit about the Academy.

"I know." Even for an accelerated student, two years of study was the bare minimum to graduate. And no one graduated directly to taichou-level. Starrk stared at the bed morosely. Although… "I do have a bit of a leg up. Tosen and Gin have been training me hard." As the Primera, the strongest yet most ignorant, he'd gotten quite a bit of attention. Lilynette sighed at him.

"You'll have to learn shunpo. You're fucked Starrk." She said, rather accurately. Starrk sighed before running a hand over his face.

"What else can I do? And if nothing else, we can both be here to serve Aizen-sama when he succeeds in his quest." Surely he would succeed, even without them. Surely his friends would be safe. Looking up, he saw the worry in Lilynette's face and felt a matching anxiety in his heart.

Surely, everything would be just fine.


	2. Chapter 2

"Ukitake!" Juushiro looked up from his paperwork with a smile at that hail. Shunsui was standing in the doorway of his study, holding some very fine sake. "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all." He said instantly, putting down his quill pen. He needed a break anyway. Shunsui settled down across form him and broke open the sake. They were both sipping it when his best friend brought up what was on his mind.

"I hear you have a new recruit, fresh out of the slums?" Shunsui said curiously. Juushiro wasn't too surprised that he would take an interest. The last person to be plucked out of the Rukongai that way had been Zaraki Kenpachi. He was the whole reason they'd begun scanning the Rukongai for talent, in fact.

"Yes, and it was like a scene from the past. His reiatsu spiked just like Zaraki's and for such a similar reason." The devastation Kenpachi had caused had been due to a truly credible threat to Yachiru. Fortunately, Starrk had been a touch more restrained. But Lilynette had not been in such danger, either. "He has a daughter." Or at least, that was his story. Juushiro was deeply suspicious and Shunsui easily picked it up.

"You don't believe that?" He asked and Juushiro sipped his sake before shaking his head.

"No. He might even believe it, but I don't think it's the truth." He said frankly. "I would be surprised if he's much past twenty and she has to be at least twelve." Juushiro didn't think Starrk could possibly be older than twenty-five, and as a new entry into Soul Society, his age would indicate when he'd died. Unless, just possibly, he'd died at a very advanced age. Sometimes those who were old yet spiritually powerful were gifted with youth when they crossed over. But even that wouldn't work with Lilynette's age. Shunsui shrugged.

"He probably has amnesia and said the first thing that came to mind." He said and Juushiro nodded, smiling a little. Perhaps Starrk had just called Lilynette that because he felt like a father. "Is he truly as powerful as Zaraki? The rumors say he is."

"Every bit." He admitted, feeling a bit exhausted just thinking about it. Starrk didn't know it, but he was running them a touch ragged trying to suppress his reiatsu. He tended to spill it everywhere, particularly when he was upset. "The strange part is how good he is with a sword." That was highly unusual. Shunsui lifted his eyebrows and Juushiro explained. "It's not like most recruits from the Living World. He's not a fencer." That was the usual scenario, when they had a recruit who remembered weapons. Alas, it had been a very long time since swords had been used seriously in the Living World. And habits that were good for fencing were often terrible for someone trying to kill hollows. "He was trained by someone who really knew how to fight and he's very good at it." His shunpo was still awful but when he mastered that, Starrk would be excellent. Shunsui whistled a little.

"He sounds impressive. Perhaps I would like to meet him!" He said cheerfully and Juushiro felt a sudden stab of misgiving. Shunsui could be very casual in his relationships and Starrk…

"Be careful, Shunsui." He said firmly and his friend looked at him oddly. "He's very quick to cling to anyone who gives him affection." He'd noticed that about Starrk. The man hid it well… he'd clearly learned to keep a certain distance… but there was something slightly needy about him. He reminded Juushiro of an abused child, desperate for the slightest scrap of love, despite the not-so-hidden strings. "And his daughter is quite protective of him." She also seemed like an abused child, but one who had reacted in quite a different way… she was unwilling to trust anyone and regarded them all as possible threats. Juushiro wasn't sure which problem would be harder to fix. Shunsui's expression sobered a bit.

"And you think I'll find him attractive?" He said and Juushiro nodded with a sigh. Starrk was definitely Shunsui's type. "I promise you, Juu, I'm not going to seduce a brand new cadet. He'll have to graduate before I consider it."

"Good." Hopefully that would give Starrk time to settle into his powers and develop some real confidence. "Their names are Starrk and Lilynette. They're probably in the gardens." That was where they usually hung out, when they weren't being tutored. Their other skills were abysmal and while the Academy would teach them to read, they could save the instructors some work. Shunsui rose to go check that out while Juushiro smiled and went back to his work.

He was confident that Shunsui wouldn't harm Starrk. He was far too responsible to start something with someone so badly damaged by a past he couldn't remember.

* * *

Starrk lay in the sun, pretending to sleep as Lilynette read a book.

He didn't want to let her know, but he was having huge issues adjusting to Soul Society and his place in it. The real problem was forcing himself to think of the shinigami as enemies. In Los Noches, he'd always been so desperate to make friends. It had been very hard to get past defenses, get the other arrancar to regard him as anything besides a threat. The only one who'd been immediately friendly had been Findorr, and now Starrk had some rather unhappy suspicions about that. He'd had many real successes – Grimmjow came to mind – but it had always been hard.

The shinigami, meanwhile, were trying to get close to him. Starrk wanted, more than anything, to reach out and take what was being offered. But he knew he couldn't. Lilynette berated him every time he got too 'chummy' with a shinigami and he knew she was right. They were enemies…

"Starrk-san?" He opened his eyes in surprise to see a bearded face, shaded by a straw hat, smiling down at him. The pink kimono over his shoulders was… strange. And was that a taichou's haori? Starrk was keenly aware of his lack of rank here. When his superiors approached him, it felt strange and unsettling.

"Taichou-san." He said belatedly, moving to climb to his feet and bow. The other man caught his arm before he could complete it.

"There's no need for that." He said easily and Starrk lifted his head, taking in the man a bit more fully. He had his hair in a ponytail with a blue, crinkly hair tie. The little pins he had decorated it with glittered in the sun like jewels. "I am Kyoraku Shunsui, taichou of the Eighth. Have you heard of me?" He asked with a roguish smile and Starrk blinked.

"I, um… a little." He'd heard that Shunsui was good in bed and willing to demonstrate it, but also rather fickle and quick to lose interest. That didn't bother Starrk much. He was well-versed in love play by now and he'd never deluded himself into thinking it meant anything. Strangely, though, the thought made his chest hurt. That was odd. He'd never felt any pain as a hollow. Shunsui laughed.

"Only good things, I hope!" He said and Starrk ventured a tentative smile. "I'm told you know how to fight. Would you like to show me?"

"If you want, taichou-san." Starrk said cautiously. He had a zanpakuto, but it was just a… what was the word? Asauchi, shallow hilt. The name seemed peculiar to him. "The practice yard?" This place to spar. Starrk was vaguely aware of Lilynette looking up from her book and watching them suspiciously. She was very protective of him now…

"Of course!" Shunsui put an arm over his shoulders, drawing him away. Starrk glanced back, seeing Lilynette trailing after them. She was scowling now and he smiled at her reassuringly. "Don't try to use shunpo." Taichou-san cautioned as they reached the practice yard. Several shinigami were there, sparring against each other and practicing their skills. "I know you've been experimenting but until you have a basic grasp, it's more of a hazard than anything."

"I know." Starrk said ruefully. "I ran into a wall." It had been extremely painful and he'd been sent to the Fourth. Fortunately, the injuries had just been rather extensive bruises. Shunsui chuckled before drawing his blades and flipping them with a flourish that made Starrk blink.

It was his first time fighting against someone who used two swords, but Starrk adapted to it well. He quickly deciphered the logic behind it and was able to devise counters on the fly. From the look on his face as he tested him, he thought Shunsui was impressed.

"Enough." The other man said before lowering his blades. Starrk dropped the tip of his, breathing a touch heavily. That had not been easy, even if Shunsui hadn't been going at him all out. "You'll be wonderful when you've mastered shunpo. Who trained you?"

"I don't know." Starrk said. That was his story and he was sticking to it. Shunsui smiled, but with just the faintest trace of disbelief. Yet, he did not question further.

"Well, whoever he was, he was a master swordsman." Starrk felt a sudden pain at that. Aizen, Tosen, Gin… would he ever see them again? "You – " Starrk totally lost track of what the other man was saying when a hand suddenly grabbed his hair and yanked.

"Oi Starrk! We've both got a lesson!" Lilynette said sharply and Starrk blinked. "We're going to be late!"

"Oh." She was right. He'd completely forgotten about their lessons. They were both unlettered barbarians and needed quite a bit of catching up. "I'm sorry, taichou-san. I do need to be going." It really couldn't wait. He smiled at them cheerfully and Starrk felt a pang in his heart at the friendliness of the expression. He wanted nothing more than to be friends…

"Of course! I'm sure I'll see you again soon." Was that a promise or a threat? It sounded like a promise to his ears. As Lilynette dragged him away, Starrk couldn't help but glance back. Their eyes met and he felt a shiver down his spine before he almost stumbled over a tree root. Then he turned his attention back to his path.

It was so hard, when he wanted to be friends so much.

* * *

"He is so very intriguing." Shunsui smiled as he sipped his sake and looked over the shogi board. His mind wasn't on the game, though. It was on an intriguing new recruit with grey eyes. "He's hiding something."

"Mmm hmm." Juushiro hummed his agreement. The thought didn't alarm him in slightest bit because – "I suspect he remembers. It's likely something to do with his death." Starrk might even have partial memories. Shunsui nodded.

"It's hardly uncommon." He said easily, taking his move. It actually was a fairly common problem, when a recruit happened to remember. When faced with the fact that Soul Society was not exactly heaven, many of them began to question their place in the cosmos. Combined with often painful deaths and unresolved 'sins', they could even begin to wonder if this was a kind of Hell. It wasn't true, of course, but Starrk wouldn't be the first recruit to require some therapy to deal with his or her past. "Most likely it will be something silly. Perhaps she is his daughter and he made her very young, eh?"

"Shunsui!" Juushiro laughed at the thought. "Perhaps." It was certainly possible. Lilynette was probably twelve and Starrk was, at the most, twenty-five. So… thirteen? Yes, it was possible. "Kuchiki will soon have it out of him." Rukia was trying hard to befriend Starrk and he was responding in a shy manner. The main obstacle she was facing was Lilynette. The little girl seemed to be quite protective of her 'father'. But Rukia was a child of the slums and understood such things. Juushiro was certain she would win Lilynette over, too.

"Hmm, perhaps you should look into it personally? I would but if I don't get my work done, Nanao-chan is going to hit me." Shunsui sighed theatrically and Juushiro smiled. She certainly would, she did it all the time.

"I might. Perhaps I can teach him shogi." Juushiro said thoughtfully. Starrk was wary of him, probably because of his rank. But how hard would that be to get past, really? He didn't think it would be hard at all. "Well, that is for later. What has Nanao been up to?" They began chatting about other things but Juushiro would remember. After all, playing more shogi was hardly a chore.

Starrk might even be good at it.

* * *

"…" Juushiro looked at the shogi board in open dismay. "You lied to me." He accused the young man across from him, who looked abashed. "You've played this before." There was no way he could be losing this badly to a novice at the game.

"I… did not lie, precisely. You said you would teach me if I wanted and I am sure there is more for me to learn…" Starrk said in a supplicating tone and Juushiro blinked before laughing.

"You sound like Shunsui!" That was exactly the kind of logic his best friend would use. Although he was sure with Starrk, it was a bit more innocent. "Ah well. You must have come from Japan." The game was not widely in use elsewhere, that he knew of. Starrk just shrugged. "You don't remember anything?"

"Nothing." He said and Juushiro had the distinct feeling he was lying. But it wasn't worth pressing. As Shunsui had said, it was undoubtedly something rather silly. Taking his move, he watched Starrk examining the board. He really was a handsome young man, particularly when he was concentrating so intently. After he took his move, though, Starrk had a question.

"Ukitake-san? I heard someone speaking today and they used a strange word. I was wondering, what is a jureichi?" He asked as Juushiro considered his move. He didn't have a lot of good options.

"It is a spiritual linchpin, a connection between the three worlds." He said absently, thinking nothing of it. After all, his Division managed Karakura town. It was no surprise someone might mention it. "It's a suburb of Tokyo."

"Tokyo?" Starrk asked as Juushiro continued thinking about his move. Really, it was quite difficult.

"Mmm hmm. One of the largest cities in Japan." He said before finally taking his move. Starrk stared at the board but his mind seemed far away.

"Suburb… that is like a district of the Rukongai?" Starrk asked and Juushiro nodded. "There would be many people there?" He asked before making his move and to Juushiro's surprise, it wasn't a good one. An opportunity! Smiling, he took advantage of it. "Oh. That was stupid of me." Starrk muttered as Juushiro answered his question.

"Oh yes, many people. I have no idea how many but it would be quite a lot. You'll likely go there when you're in your last year at the Academy." Juushiro said and Starrk nodded, still puzzling over the board. He finally took his move and Juushiro considered his next. The other man just sat back, staring out the window with a faintly troubled air. Juushiro was so involved in the game he hardly noticed.

He didn't realize he'd given Starrk a great deal to chew on.

* * *

"What's wrong with you?" Lilynette didn't mince words, peering down at him from the top bunk. Starrk sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Oi! Out with it!"

"Lilynette…" He knew she wouldn't like this. "Do you remember when Aizen told us his plans? To sacrifice the spiritual energies of the jureichi?" He asked softly, keeping his voice down. Lilynette frowned.

"Yeah. What about it?" She asked and Starrk bit his lip. He hadn't thought to ask Aizen what a jureichi was and he likely wouldn't have cared anyway, but now… the thought of letting so many people die was making him guilty.

"It's a place in the Living World." They'd known that, though. "It's… there are a lot of people there. Aizen's going to kill them." Sacrificing their spiritual energy would certainly entail that. Lilynette gave him a strange look.

"So?" She said and Starrk struggled to find a way to express his feelings. "OI! You're thinking about telling them?! You are, aren't you?" She demanded and he put a hand over his eyes. This was so hard… "Who cares about those people? They don't matter! Only our pack matters!"

"…" Starrk knew that was good hollow thinking. When a good part of your purpose in life was devouring souls, you couldn't get squeamish. But… "It's not right, Lilynette. Don't you see that?" He appealed to her as she scowled. "Aizen's going to kill a lot of people for no reason beside his ambition. And if we know this and say nothing, we're helping him." That was what caused his festering guilt. Starrk knew this was wrong. He was vaguely aware of the fact that he _wouldn't_ have known, before Barragan had purified him, but he did know it now. Lilynette changed her tactics slightly.

"Okay, that's fine and all but what about us? What'll they do with us?" She asked and Starrk looked away. He had thought about that. "We were the Primera!"

"But we didn't do anything to them. And if we tell them what we know we'll have done them a great service." Starrk didn't see why they would hold their past against them. Yes, most purified hollows didn't remember but still… purifying them was what shinigami were for. And it wasn't like Starrk had any hard feelings. He hadn't even been purified by a shinigami! "It… does bother me, about our friends." He admitted, looking away at the wall. "But so many people…" He didn't know how many but he thought a 'lot' would at least be thousands.

"They don't matter." Lilynette said and Starrk looked up in surprise. His eyes widened as he saw the cold resolve in her face. "Nothing matters but us! This is what got you killed Starrk!" She said and his breath caught. Somehow, he was sure she wasn't talking about Barragan.

"Lilynette, what do you mean?" He asked urgently. She shook her head.

"It doesn't matter. Are you really going to betray Aizen?" She demanded and Starrk bit his lip. "He saved us! Remember?"

"Yes, but…" The fact that Aizen was doing it to become kami… he just knew it wasn't right. "I – I need to think." He had a lot to think about. Lilynette sighed above him.

"I think you're crazy but whatever. I'll follow you were ever you go. Just like always…" She sounded disgruntled and Starrk opened his mouth to ask her what she meant – and got silenced with a pillow in the face. "Go to sleep. We've got lessons tomorrow. And it's not like there's any hurry. You think about it good!"

"…Alright." Starrk knew she had a point. Nothing was going to be happening soon. Settling in, he closed his eyes.

Tomorrow would be a brand new day.


End file.
